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noabeth's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
I loved reading this book on audio and having Mel C be the one who narrates it! I found that I kept getting lost in the timeline if I wasn't paying close enough attention
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Eating disorder
cavallonee's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
Minor: Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, and Pregnancy
charlotte_helen's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
4.0
I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook edition read by the author herself. It was interesting to listen to the behind the scenes of the spice girls and how Mel C has grown over the years. I also found it very unique how every chapter began with a round up reflecting on all the biggest things that happened during that decade or year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Mental illness
zara89's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Eating disorder, Death, Pregnancy, and Fatphobia
danileah07's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Eating disorder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse
kenziburke's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Mental illness
katietotallybooked's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
This was a great audiobook to listen to as a childhood Spice Girls fan. I remember how much my friends and I were into them - pretending to be them during recess, performing airbands of their songs at school assemblies, collecting trading cards, dolls, and photos. It was a fandom for sure!
I learned so much about Mel C and the Spice Girls and her experiences before, during, and after this era of her life. Mel C shared so openly about her struggles with an eating disorder, depression and mental health. I am so glad she decided to speak candidly and share her story.
My only criticism is that the book felt long and slow at times. It really dragged out, but in a positive way, it gave me so much detailed information as a reader (and listener). I highly recommend the audiobook. I can't wait to dive into Mel B's (Scary Spice) memoir soon!
I learned so much about Mel C and the Spice Girls and her experiences before, during, and after this era of her life. Mel C shared so openly about her struggles with an eating disorder, depression and mental health. I am so glad she decided to speak candidly and share her story.
My only criticism is that the book felt long and slow at times. It really dragged out, but in a positive way, it gave me so much detailed information as a reader (and listener). I highly recommend the audiobook. I can't wait to dive into Mel B's (Scary Spice) memoir soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Eating disorder
amy1608's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Addiction, Dysphoria, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Mental illness
kelly_e's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Title: The Sporty One: My Life as a Spice Girl
Author: Melanie Chisholm
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: September 15, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Frank • Insightful • Nostalgic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
The Sporty One: My Life as a Spice Girl is an intimate memoir from international pop star Melanie Chisholm--better known as Mel C. or Sporty Spice--chronicling her trajectory from small-town girl to overnight icon as part of the Spice Girls, one of the biggest music groups in history. In addition to how the band came to be and playing some of the biggest venues in the world, Melanie talks about the pressures of fame, the shaming and bullying she experienced, the struggles she has had with her body image and mental health, and the difficulty of finding yourself when the whole world knows your name.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I was nine-years-old when the Spice Girls burst onto the scene and took over the music world. While I cannot honestly say I was a huge fan, I definitely knew who they were, and most of my childhood friends were obsessed, which means I can recall re-enacting performances in living rooms at sleepovers numerous times. As a child, Sporty Spice was the one I related to the most, so of course, I was intrigued when I saw she was releasing a memoir.
This memoir has a pretty linear progression, although it does jump around from time to time, which made things a bit confusing on audio. It delves deeps into the complexities of the music industry giving the reader a behind the scenes glimpse into the relentlessness of fame. One of the parts that surprised me most was how the band came to be. I had no one one of the most popular girl groups came to be because they answered an ad in the newspaper.
Her discussion surrounding her mental health (both during the bands biggest years and during her solo career) really resonated with me. For me, that's where the real value in this memoir is. She opens up about her struggles with anxiety, depression, anorexia and binge eating disorder with the hope of helping someone else, and offering encouragement to ask for help.
Overall, this was a solid memoir with a strong mental health focus. I highly recommend listening to the audio version, read by the author herself, for an enhanced emotional experience. This isn't a tell-tale memoir, so if you're looking for juicy stuff this isn't the book for you.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the Spice Girls
• celebrity memoir enthusiasts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"We live in much more interesting times now where the gender lines are less binary, and gender is much more fluid. None of us are just one thing, are we? It's something I feel we should hold onto today; that we're all many things, and that's to be celebrated. Our complexity is what makes us so normal/brilliant/unique/interesting!"
Author: Melanie Chisholm
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: September 15, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Frank • Insightful • Nostalgic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
The Sporty One: My Life as a Spice Girl is an intimate memoir from international pop star Melanie Chisholm--better known as Mel C. or Sporty Spice--chronicling her trajectory from small-town girl to overnight icon as part of the Spice Girls, one of the biggest music groups in history. In addition to how the band came to be and playing some of the biggest venues in the world, Melanie talks about the pressures of fame, the shaming and bullying she experienced, the struggles she has had with her body image and mental health, and the difficulty of finding yourself when the whole world knows your name.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I was nine-years-old when the Spice Girls burst onto the scene and took over the music world. While I cannot honestly say I was a huge fan, I definitely knew who they were, and most of my childhood friends were obsessed, which means I can recall re-enacting performances in living rooms at sleepovers numerous times. As a child, Sporty Spice was the one I related to the most, so of course, I was intrigued when I saw she was releasing a memoir.
This memoir has a pretty linear progression, although it does jump around from time to time, which made things a bit confusing on audio. It delves deeps into the complexities of the music industry giving the reader a behind the scenes glimpse into the relentlessness of fame. One of the parts that surprised me most was how the band came to be. I had no one one of the most popular girl groups came to be because they answered an ad in the newspaper.
Her discussion surrounding her mental health (both during the bands biggest years and during her solo career) really resonated with me. For me, that's where the real value in this memoir is. She opens up about her struggles with anxiety, depression, anorexia and binge eating disorder with the hope of helping someone else, and offering encouragement to ask for help.
Overall, this was a solid memoir with a strong mental health focus. I highly recommend listening to the audio version, read by the author herself, for an enhanced emotional experience. This isn't a tell-tale memoir, so if you're looking for juicy stuff this isn't the book for you.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the Spice Girls
• celebrity memoir enthusiasts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"We live in much more interesting times now where the gender lines are less binary, and gender is much more fluid. None of us are just one thing, are we? It's something I feel we should hold onto today; that we're all many things, and that's to be celebrated. Our complexity is what makes us so normal/brilliant/unique/interesting!"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, Mental illness, and Body shaming
Moderate: Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Misogyny, and Bullying
Minor: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Pregnancy, and Death
anorexia, binge eating disorder, anxiety, depression, divorcebookishpip's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Eating disorder